Run Free-quently Asked Questions

Race week is finally here, and with it a myriad of questions. We thought we’d post this update to answer a few of the more common ones.

But first, a cool factoid: after shipping out all the packages, we realized we have runners in 24 countries! And within the United States, our race will be run in 43 states PLUS the District of Columbia! Pretty cool!

As noted in the introduction to the aforementioned factoid, all packages have been shipped out. Many of you have already received your packages and begun posting pictures online. It’s been crazy to see posts showing up from all over the world. Keep em coming!

With those pictures, though, has come an onslaught of questions from people who have NOT yet received their packages. Essentially, people are wondering:

Where is my package?!

To which we answer: have no fear, friends. It’s on its way!

As noted in a recent update, we shipped everything according to the guidelines set forth by the venerable United States Postal Service, with a few days for buffer. So if USPS said it would take 6-10 business days to get to your country (which they did for many of the overseas deliveries), we shipped with at least 10 business days, but in most cases 12 or 13.

If USPS said 3-6 business days (as they did for much of the United States), we shipped with at least 6 business days, but in most cases 9 or 10.

There were very few exceptions to this, and most exceptions had to do with people filling out their surveys at the last second. Still, we managed to get packages out right away once we had information.

All of that to say, packages shipped at different times based on geography, and some arrived much faster than we’d expected. So have no fear if yours isn’t there yet. It’s on its way!

Our second question is related to the first.

What if I don’t receive my packet by race day?!

First off, do not panic. There are still four or five mailing days (depending on what time you read this today) for you to get your package. Odds are very good that it will get there soon.

At the same time, we realize that there are over 1000 people signed up for this race, and it is unfortunately likely that at least one package will get lost somewhere, because that is how Murphy’s Law works. Despite mailing everything with plenty of buffer, there’s no way around the odds.

Rest assured though, we have a contingency plan for this scenario, which we will announce in a few days. Suffice it to say, you will still be able to participate in the race even if your complete race pack hasn’t arrived.

Finally, we’ve gotten questions like this a few times:

What time does the race start? When will I know my time? When should I start posting pictures?

Those are all fantastic questions, and they will all be answered later this week when we post a detailed “What to do on Race Day” guide. This will give you all the info you need to know in order to not run our fake marathon.

Keep your eyes glued to your inboxes, and if you haven’t received your packet, keep your eyes glued to your mailboxes (perhaps glue one eye to each to be safe).

See you at the finish line!

-Kyle, Honest Abe, & the rest of Team Ridiculo.us

P.S. A few of you have already started posting pics to try and win Honest Abe's Run Free Photo Challenge. If you haven't read the rules, check em out here. It's the only way to get a medal now that we're sold out!

Comments

I'd like to say that the 4 bracelets vs. 6 is an unfortunate consequence of converting from the metric system, or use some other excuse that takes the blame off of us, but the fact is, there's only one explanation here: an international conglomerate of race-bracelet thieving postal workers.

That said, we'll get some more bracelets out to you right away. Sorry for the mixup!

Well, the package made it here (Germany) alright today, but after unpacking there were only 4 wristbands instead of 6. I know the economic value of these things is almost below nothing, but still, I'd really hate to have my faithful racers draw straws for who's going to miss out. So what am I to do?